The age-old concept of supply and demand is worth considering long before you erect a ‘for sale’ sign. Even though your product (the property) may not be fully prepared to enter the market – it is available – and can therefore be supplied. But is there enough demand to attract a high volume of viewers? Much will depend on the time of year.

The Most Lucrative Months For Selling

The Hottest Months

The sale of residential property generally follows seasonal rules, with minor fluctuations influenced by the country’s economic performance and in particular whether interest rates are high or low. Interest rates only control the market by turning the volume up or down but rarely impede forward momentum. This makes the market relatively predictable month to month and year on year. There are exceptions, notably during severe recession, but fiscal changes introduced by government after the last housing crisis are likely to prevent any future dramatic downturn or another nationally experienced bricks and mortar equity disaster.

April and May are always the hottest months for selling property. People have spent the cold winter months considering their options and planning for the year ahead. Once Christmas and New Year are truly over, and the sun starts to shine, buyers go out in an abundance searching for their new home. The spring-season inspires and motivates people. It nurtures confidence and encourages the house-hunter to actively pursue their goal.

Spring also brings out first-time buyers and these are an enormously important group in the housing market. They provide fuel in the form of finance so that others further up the ladder can move. During these two energetic months housing chains can rattle along at a frantic pace. If you can place your property on the market during early April there is every chance it will have sold by the end of May, and at the asking price or even more if there is poor local competition.

The Warmest Months

June, July and August are good for selling though slower than April and May. This is a period when people tend to have other things on their minds. They are likely to be planning for and looking forward to a summer holiday, having day trips, taking care of children during the summer break, redesigning their garden or simply enjoying weekend barbecues in it with their family and friends.

Whilst this period produces long spells of good hot weather during which you may think people would want to view properties. The fact is, there are often just not enough hours in the day for them to concentrate on this aspect of their lives. Those who have got the time, however, will want to secure a property before winter sets in.

The Coolest Months

September, October, November and March are quiet months in the property market. As the cold weather begins people start to batten down the hatches for winter. The desire to leave their own cosy home to look at others diminishes and by November their minds turn to preparations for the festive season. The buyers who are looking for property at this time are aware that owners may be under pressure to sell and will generally make low offers in the hope of getting a bargain.

March can either be a cool or a warm month for selling and this literally depends on the weather. If it is wet and cold then viewings are likely to be few and far between. On the other hand if it is dry, and preferably sunny too, then potential buyers will be keen to view the first properties entering the market early in the season.

The Frozen Months

December, January and February are the most dubious months of the year for selling property. It is generally very cold, very wet, and during December people are absorbed in their plans for Christmas and the New Year. By mid-January most people are exhausted after entertaining friends and relatives, they may be returning from a festive holiday or getting back into the work routine. Others will simply be hibernating and waiting for the warmer weather before venturing out.

The only buyers available for viewings will be those desperate to secure a property quickly. It may be that their own home has sold and they need to find somewhere else to live to ensure their own sale does not collapse. Or they may find themselves suddenly in need of more space, for example where an addition to the family is expected. In any event such buyers will be scarce and most properties can expect perhaps only one or two viewings each month, if any at all.

Indirectly what may seem a hopeless situation can work to your advantage. Desperate buyers will often pay the asking-price for a property they like and will be keen to secure it as quickly as possible. Though such opportunities may be thin on the ground there is always good reason to be optimistic about a viewing arranged, even during the worst months of the year.